Kurai Usagi

That was close, apparently my "friend" Sochi from before got back to the Dojo in once piece, even though the others started making fun of him for crying all the way back. I think at one point i smelled shit in his pants when he passed me by. People like him should not be allowed to train in a dojo. What's the point of becoming a strong person if you don't have the guts to do what it takes in order to achieve your dreams or goals? Or even protect someone? Bah, i don't really care, i'm just happy i caught my food for tonight. I took my spot at the campfire ,joined by other trainees and travelers, each more different than the other, but they were all the same to me. I loved the competition in the air, they eyed each other as if they were long lost rivals. None of them looked towards me though, beats me...

"H-hey.." i looked behind and there was Sochi, a lot of shame in the look he gave me "S-sorry for today, you are right, i shouldn't have lost my cool". I ignored him and stared back at the rabbit meat cooking itself above the fire. "I want to make it up to you!". Why was the idiot so friendly? Some hours ago i left him to get eaten by a saber cat, even if i was the one chased by it. "Me and my friends need your help, and we can offer ours! We've created a good training session for all the people here to undergo if they so desire. We can help you train, you can help us.... man up?" he smiled, awkwardly.

"Did you now? If that's so, we can do it tonight after we finish our meals."

"T-tonight? But it's dark!"

"Lesson number one. Don't be afraid of darkness, embrace it" and i meant it in more ways then one. We finished eating, and little Sochi guarded me to a secluded place in the woods "So where are your friends?" i asked starting to get suspicious of the boy. He grinned , obviously scared by the looks of it "A-all around you!" and then he sprinted into a nearby bush. "What in the-..." i took a step forward as i felt something hit me in the back, i reached for it and pulled it out. It was an arrow, but luckily for me it's tip was blunt, not pointy. "Ah, so you want to play fuckers?" i exclaimed for all of them to hear me. I couldn't possibly known how many of them were, so i had to pay attention around me, too bad the sounds of a forest in the dark as so distracting. I heard another arrow coming from a bush, i barely had time to turn my head but i raised my arm by instinct and it hit me in the forearm. "I'll peel out your eyes you stupid assholes!" . "That's for bringing shame into the Arrow squad dick!". Ah, so this is what it was. Revenge from Sochi, mostly his friends judging from his expression before he left. "Very well, but don't start crying when i beat you to death you fuc-.." and bam another arrow directly in the top of my head. It hurt like a bitch.

I had to take this seriously, even though it was a big stupid bad joke. I tried to ignore the pain concentrate on the world around me. "Shit.." everything was dark but that helped me a bit, i could see the moon light reflecting in their eyes as they moved from bushes to trees. Good, i have a starting point. I rushed into the forest, the training i've undergone in these past days helped my speed a lot and a moving target is always harder to hit. I heard them behind me as they started the chase. Two arrows were shot, on was way off, but the other one passed by my right shoulder, i felt it coming so i shoved myself to the opposite direction a little. Now i could keep on running all night, maybe it would be a good idea to just go deep into the forest and have them get eaten by some creature or so, but that's not my style. This was something personal, and i always solve problems like these in person. I needed to find a way to break them off, catch them one by one. "WOOOOSH" another arrow hit the back of the tree i was hiding after. I heard two of them going around, to strike at me from behind, the others were probably waiting ready for me to leave my spot. "Don't be afraid of the darkness, embrace it" i recalled what i told little Sochi earlier. That's right, i can use the darkness myself. As soon as the two "archers" moved into the bush to my right i kicked a rock into their direction, feinting a move towards them, arrows came lose, three of them. I took cover again and rushed for the other side. "So there are five of you fuckers! I hope you have enough arrows!" and hopefully none of them with pointy tips. This time they spread, the three-man and two-man group, trying to surround me, i could hear them behind me. I saw a glance of one of them as he moved forward, out-speeding me. Looks like even with all that training there are still people faster then me. Woosh Woosh! Two more arrows i can almost see them, feel their air pressure. I crouch down dodging one but the other one hits me directly in the back in the same damn spot.

Anger started to rise in me but at times like this it's good to keep it contained. Unleash it only when you have a target, and right now i only had faint signals of targets. "Stop trying to run, receive your punishment and we'll leave you alone" WOOSH. Another one? Really? You're not even going to let me reply. This one came from ahead, i barely dodged it, moving my head to the right swiftly. It seems the one that got the best of my speed was the leader. He's the one that kept talking all night. He's the one i'll take out first. To hell with running. So i rushed directly forward in his direction praying his draw isn't faster then me. And i was right, either that or he just got scared seeing my come at him. He changed his position jumping up in a tree and i followed. I didn't take in consideration the fact that the pupils will protect their master. Woosh woosh woosh. Three arrows this time as i ran up that tree. I grabbed one before hitting me in the abdomen, jumped backwards from the tree, the other two arrows hitting it's bark and lounged myself backwards in a bush. "What the hell am i doing?" I'm a fucking shinobi, a ninja, an assassin of the night. My anger made me forget that they are the ones trapped here with me, not I with them. I stood there unmoved hearing mutters. "Leave leader-sama alone!" this one was Sochi. I didn't respond, they didn't see me jumping in the bush, they don't know my position. They spread out in teams again this time making the horrible mistake of leaving one man behind in case i'm still hidden somewhere around, which i was. He stood high up in a tree. I took a good look at him. It was Sochi , sobbing, his hand barely able to hold the arrow. I waited for the others to get some distance, until i stopped hearing their muffled movements and then i moved myself. Threw a rock at him, he lounged to another tree i followed. By the time he landed on the branch i was already running upwards towards him. He turned to aim at me but it was already to late, i grabbed his bow and grasped at his neck. "Do you remember what happened to that mountain rabbit earlier Sochi-san?" "H-help" well, it was a good effort, but you can't really yell something out when someone is strangling you. In a few seconds my dear "friend" Sochi was asleep on top of the tree. I took his bow and two arrows left and went hunting. Isn't nature amazing in cases like these? Where the hunted becomes the hunter? I myself loved the idea at that moment.

It didn't take me long to find the rest of them, well at least two of the remaining bastards. I started to get used to the darkness, i started to respond better to the sounds and movements. I stood in safe distance from them making my position obvious "Sochi is that you? Did you find him?!" I raised the bow and arrow and shot one into their direction "Hey what are you doing idiot? You almost hit me" and then the other one. This time it hit cause i heard a Pmmmft coming from one of them. "I don't think that's Sochi!". Now i heard the cords of their bows being strained so i rushed to the side, heading for their direction, tree after tree, bush after bush. They managed to take two shoots each, confused, scared and angry. Those are all bad traits when it comes to aiming. I got into melle range and the cowards started to run. Silly fucks, one of them tripped by a branch and i stepped on his head, smashing his face into the grassy plain. I pushed really hard, lounging myself after the other, grabbing him by the back of his head and smashing it into a stump of a tree that happened to be into the direction we were both running. "Two mo-." Woosh woosh. The arrows wouldn't stop coming and one of the two that just came into my direction hit it's spot , right in the ribs. "FUCK!" i couldn't hold it to myself, even though those were just toys, the speed at which they flew made them hurt, a lot. "YOU"LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU"VE DONE!" and now i knew where they were and i glared at them, with murder intent visible in my expression. I could hear their breath and hands going for another arrow. I grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at them. I must've been super lucky that night because i hit one of them in the head and he fell from the tree in a loud thump, groaning in pain. Sadly it wasn't the team leader. But this was better, i had him all for myself now. I smiled like a maniac and he ran. Threw his bow and arrow and ran... No, i won't be satisfied with this "You brought this upon yourself!" and i followed. It was amazing how used to the darkness i was at this point, almost like a cat in the night. As i chased after him, catching up to him, i recalled the moments from earlier as i ran from the saber cat trough the forest. Now i know how the beast felt, it's desire to rip my throat out and drink my blood. I wanted to do the same to this kid. I got at the end of the road, almost losing his track. Ended up in a beautiful valley by the mountain side next to a waterfall coming from the rocks. I recognized this place since i used to come here to clear my mind. I walked into the light of the moon, knowing that the idiot threw his weapon and i had nothing to fear now. "Up on the mountain, up on a cliff. There stood a wabbit ready to be killed. The hunter charged an arrow and then he took a shoot, and the rabbit dropped dead , fallen in it's blood" it's good to throw fear into the hearts of your enemies, pretty songs like this make their skin crawl for some reason. I heard whimpering from a bush nearby and stepped towards it carefully.

In an act of terror and anger he raised from the bush, a huge rock in his hands attempting to hit me with it, possibly kill me at this point. I didn't have to do much, dodging arrows all day made me really fast when it came to reacting. I charged in myself, lowered and punched him in the stomach, taking away the air from him, making him drop the rock on the ground. I then grabbed at his neck and started punching him in the face... repeatedly, for each arrow they shot at me, harder for the ones that hit me "And. That's. Why. You. Don't. Mess. With. Strangers. ASSHOLE!". And i left him bloodied on the ground, with the night at it's peaks, ready to let the sun settle in. This took a great deal of energy from me, even with that good meal, but as little Sochi promised it was a good training session. My body hurt, my head hurt, my eyes started to get blurry from all the focus but those are good signs... i'm getting stronger, i'm growing.